Which marketing methods do consumers trust the most?

When, as part of the Nielsen Global Survey, Internet users were asked about the level of trust they place on a variety of different forms of advertising, the results were as per other recent findings. Over two-thirds of the 26,486 global respondents surveyed said that recommendations from consumers was the "advertising" method they most trusted.

The results of the global survey, involving Internet users across 47 countries, were as follows:

78 percent - recommendations from consumers
63 percent – newspapers
61 percent – consumer opinions posted online
60 percent – brand websites
56 percent – television
56 percent – magazines
54 percent – radio
49 percent – brand sponsorships
49 percent – email I signed up for
38 percent – ads before movies
34 percent – search engine ads
26 percent – Online banner ads
18 percent – text ads on cell phones

However, the above percentages do differ substantially between countries. For instance, in Europe, respondents were around 62 percent (Denmark) or 63 percent (Italy) to trust consumer recommendations. In Asian countries, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan, the trust levels for this channel were much higher with 93 percent and 91 percent respectively.

"Advertisers around the world are able to reach consumers across an increasingly diverse range of media platforms," said David McCallum, Nielsen's global managing director of customized research. "Even so, the recommendation of someone else remains the most trusted source of information when consumers decide which products and services to buy."

The results also demonstrate the higher levels of trust in traditional methods of advertising as compared to online routes.

Tags: advertising, global, Nielsen, word-of-mouth